Amourshipping: I Choose You!
by UncivilPizza
Summary: When Ash can't go home for Christmas, he is forced to stay with Serena. Who knows what they could get up to? This one's my first story. After I make more, this will likely be my signature story, so please share around and enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey guys! It's me. I know it's been a while, but I have returned. Let me just say, my hiatus lasted a lot longer than I had hoped because I had lost all hope in my writing skill. My last assessment in English went terribly, and it really knocked my confidence. I also had to get my laptop fixed _again_ , which meant I had to spend a while using nothing but my phone, and that was difficult. In fact, I had simply run out of purpose. I began to feel as if there was no point in getting out of bed in the morning. Stress, social anxiety, and the need to find myself a job just got the better of me.

But that doesn't explain why I'm here. A few months ago by now, I was looking through my old notebook, and I found a small treasure trove of my ideas from a year or so back. Probably enough ideas for me to write series upon series of fanfictions. That's only part of it. I was lying in bed one night, and suddenly, a thought came to me: _What happened?_ I had some good story ideas, a community to read them and a laptop to write it on. And that was it. I needed a purpose. I needed something to fill the lonely nights. I needed _closure_. And that's why I'm here. With a new story. Well, not _new_ , per se, but a remake of one of my favourites.

I think one of the reasons why my old writing was weak was because I set myself a goal of one chapter per week. This meant I had to push my time a little too much. By the time you are reading this, I will likely have read over and changed up the existing story, and I will be 14-15 chapters ahead of where I need to be, so I can upload those weekly, and when it comes to it, I won't worry too much about being late. I will still try, though.

So here we are. Just one last note: this is not meant to be a total reworking of the story. I will change some things completely if I find that they were bad, and if you have a recommendation, just leave it in your review and I will consider it. But until then, get ready for my new story, and I'll see you on the other side!

* * *

On a cold winter night, inside a homely chateau, we find our heroes enjoying a hearty meal by the roaring fire. The floor was made of a beautiful wood, with a glossy finish that Ash had only seen in Kanto homes, and even then, very few of them. He felt as if he was lucky to have a house that contained this ornate surface. Pikachu looked at it, with a slightly confused expression on his face. He wasn't sure what to make of this shiny, brown surface, upon which his best friend had affixed his attention.

For the most part, a blanket of silence was spread upon the teenagers. Separation was something Ash had learnt to deal with, but he still ate quietly. In a strange way, their silence was prolonging the inevitable.

After all, time seems to slow during boredom.

"So, what's everyone doing for Christmas?" Bonnie said. Of course, Bonnie was the first to say something. She was possibly the most talkative person Ash has ever met. Although even she was unable to hide the dismay in her voice.

"Good question," said Ash, adopting a comically quizzical expression that made his group laugh a little. "To be honest, I don't know. I guess I'll just hop onto the next plane to Kanto and see what happens." Then, he leant forwards, which gave the teenagers an exact idea of what he would say next. Ash always did this when he (or anyone else, for that matter) mentioned his goal. "But I'm not leaving the League behind! As soon as I get back here, it's back to training, right buddy?"

Pikachu, still slightly mesmerised by the floor surface, turned his head towards Ash, giving a confident, if slightly half-hearted, " _Pika, Pika!"_

Serena smiled. Wasn't he the only reason she made it as far as she did as a Performer? Why she started her journey in the first place? Heck, if Ash wasn't around, she may as well have given up, and became a Ryhorn Racer, as her mother wished so well. If it weren't for him, she probably wouldn't even get up in the morning...

Looking at his face, she suddenly had a thought. _What if he slips away? Before you tell him..._

"Serena? You OK?" Her thought had probably shown on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking…"

Ash reached for a fork as the next course of their meal was set in front of them. A soft chocolate sponge cake with a silky, smooth chocolate sauce. Halfway there, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket.

"Hey," said Ash, to the caller, "Who is it?"

"It's your mom, Ash," said the familiar voice, "How are you?"

"I'm fine, mom, just great. I'll be home before you know it." Delilah said something in a hushed voice so that only Ash could hear it. "Yes, I have changed my underwear…" He looked over at his travelling group. The amused smile on Serena's face, and Bonnie's barely stifled giggling, made his face turn bright red.

"Listen, Ash. Have you seen the news?" asked his mom. Her slightly graver voice shocked him a little. It had been a long time since he had heard her speak like that to him.

"No, what's up? Are you OK?" came Ash's immediate reply. The burning scarlet on his cheeks had disappeared, replaced with a slightly paler-than-usual tone.

"I'm fine, but you won't be able to come home," said Delilah in a hard voice. Ash could feel the undertones of sadness underneath.

"What? Why not?" retorted Ash.

"The runway at Kanto Airport is completely frozen over. Not a single plane could land there for 2 weeks now! You'll have to find yourself someplace to stay for the next couple of weeks." Ash's mom seemed calm when she said this, but it was possible to hear her voice shake slightly. Her son, however, was frantic. _What?_ he thought, _how can you just spring this on me like that?_

After hanging up, he looked inside his wallet. 'One hundred dollars,' he muttered. _Not enough_. Ash finally sat back and took a breath. This was certainly a lot to take in for a single teenager. Often, he had found himself faced with difficult situations, but he usually had some degree of control over them. For example, in a Pokemon battle, despite his opponents' ever-increasing skill, he always had some trick or tactic up his sleeve. Now, he felt utterly helpless.

As he stood up, his friends looked at him. "Hey, what's wrong?" asked Clemont.

"I'm OK, Clemont" replied Ash. His tone was slightly harsher than usual, lest he give away his inner emotions through a quiver or break in his voice.

"Are you sure about that?" Ash heard Serena's voice from across the room. Unusually loud; almost… accusing. She had always been good at reading his feelings. The best at it, in fact. As if she knew him inside out.

Ash didn't even bother turning around to answer. He could barely see the corridor walls as he made his way up to his room. In fact, he could barely remember falling into his bed before he fell asleep. He thought that when a person was stressed they couldn't sleep. Maybe he was just _really_ tired…

* * *

Ash woke up in the morning. To him, it felt like morning, anyway. He smiled. For some reason, he felt OK. Even after the calamitous events of yesterday. But he was happy. For some reason, it felt like today would be a good one. The ice over the runway would melt, he would somehow get a free ticket, and he could fly home with Serena's hand on his.

 _Wait… Serena?_

Her name didn't usually appear in his thoughts. Was he more tired than usual?

That didn't matter. Ash noticed a wriggling object at the bottom of his bed, making its clumsy way up to his head. Tiredly, he rubbed his eyes, waiting for the object to surface next to him.

When it did, a small-ish ball of yellow fur appeared next to him, with small, dark eyes and red cheeks. Pikachu.

However, before Ash could say anything, or do anything, he leapt up in a spritely fashion, and dashed across the bed, turning into a speeding yellow blur. It didn't affect him, so he decided to leave it. Until the others came in.

When they did, he felt like he had done something wrong. The way they glared at him, and the way their mouths were shaped.

"Ash, are you alright?" Clemont opened his mouth first. His voice did not sound scornful, but more cautious, and slow.

"Just fine," Ash replied, "What bring you here?"

"Haven't you seen the time?" This time, Clemont seemed angrier. His voice was slightly raised, as were his eyebrows.

"N-no, I haven't." Ash was slightly worried by Clemont's voice.

"Well, it's-"

"HALF PAST TWELVE!" Clemont's easy voice was cut off by a high-pitched scream from Serena. Ash immediately sat up, his attention on her.

"Uh-u-uh, I'm sorry…" The honey-haired girl stared down now, and her hands met each other at her waist. "I-I didn't mean to…"

"Don't worry about it Serena," replied Ash. Despite her outburst, he felt as if he couldn't get angry at her. Serena stepped out of the room, likely to the sanctuary of hers. Maybe to the shower. _Why am I thinking so much about her?_

"Look, Ash," said Clemont, turning on the desk lamp. His voice broke Ash's thoughts. "We were really worried about you. This isn't your regular sleeping pattern. Are you sure you're OK?"

"Clemont." Ash rubbed his eyes, trying to see through the harsh light coming from beside him. "Truth is, I've been caught up in a huge hitch. I'll explain later, can I get some breakfast first?"

As the raven-haired trainer walked into the small restaurant around the side of the chateau, he looked to his side, to see his friends calling him over. Ash looked at the table and saw a large cooked breakfast- eggs, beans, sausage, bacon, mushroom, and toast. The contrasting colours of the food painted a wonderful picture there on the table, and as he stepped over towards it, the various scents added to it.

He sat down opposite Serena, who looked at him shyly. He could tell she was about to apologise, so he needed to say something quick. Before she embarrassed herself.

"Uhh, there's something I need to tell you guys," he said sheepishly. As expected, all eyes were on him. "You see, that call from my mom last night…"

"Just tell us!" said Bonnie, as Ash trailed off into his own thoughts.

Sighing, Ash continued. "Well, the short of it is, the Kanto Airport runway is frozen over. No flights in or out." Ash noticed Serena looking at him in the same way as before. Carefully, fleetingly. "And…" He trailed off again.

"And what, Ash?" asked Clemont.

"I don't have enough money to stay anywhere for Christmas. That is, unless I get some kinda part time job over the holidays."

"Wow, Ash, I'm so sorry," said Clemont. "You know that if Lumiose City wasn't so far away, Bonnie and I'd be happy to let you stay with us, but…"

Ash continued talking to Clemont, saying how it was OK, and how he'd find a way to stay somewhere. Serena, meanwhile, simply stared. She didn't know what to say. Of course, there was nothing she could do about this, right? _Unless…_

Suddenly, the boys' conversation was broken by Serena's voice. "Y-you would be welcome at mine for the holidays!" It was Serena's turn to be stared at. She felt small. _What have you done?_ she thought to herself, _now he's gonna think you're some kind of obsessive girl…_

"You'd really do that for me?" Ash asked. His eyes showed a mixture of happiness and sadness.

"Y-yeah, of course! We'd love it if you did!" Serena's attempts at seeming happy seemed to be working. In reality, she had no idea what her mother would say about it. Or, whether Ash would like her home. Or her hometown for that matter. "Why don't you start packing? I've gotta go talk to my mom for a sec, OK?"

"Sure, I'll be waiting for you!" replied Ash with a wide grin.

 _What have you done? That was_ such _a stupid move…_ thought Serena. _Or was it?_ Considering the implications, the Performer realised that this may not be such a bad move after all. Especially towards her… goals. Her and Ash in the same house, sitting together by the fireplace watching a movie. Her mom would be upstairs, she wouldn't need to know what was going on. And she and Ash would share a warm, loving kiss, under… _mistletoe._ _Yes,_ thought Serena, _this must be the right choice._

* * *

 **A/N:** HEY GUYS! What an experience rewriting this has been. I know this will seem like something I should add at the end of the series, but I just wanted to tell you guys how brilliant this has been. If you're still here, reading this, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for remembering who I am. It's been about a year, and I'm already back into this.

I just want to outline a few goals for the next couple of months: I'm going to put out the rewritten chapters of this series, and I might start on a new Amourshipping oneshot soon. Afterwards, I might write something more military. Something Halo, I reckon. I've already got some ideas: I could write something completely new, or continue my 'A Noble End' series (with rewrites of the chapters first). I'm also considering Skyrim. However, I will likely wait for a little while to set in first. Until the next chapter, thank you, and if you are here reading this, put your ideas in a review- for this story, for other stories, and more! See ya soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** What's up guys? Today, I release the second remade chapter of I Choose You! I should really get into the habit of writing these notes after the actual story bit's done, but for now, I'm gonna focus on my writing. Also, I found out how to add those horizontal lines that so many other authors on this site use. That is, of course, why I'm here. So for now, throw yourself in!

* * *

Serena hung up on her mother. It was hard enough convincing her to allow Ash to come over, let alone getting her to take him in over the holidays. But in the end, she caved in, and agreed to Serena's demands, meaning her new plans could take place. Now, she simply needed to find Ash.

Walking up the stairs, the honey-haired girl heard some odd grunting noises coming from Ash's room. She turned her head to see the trainer attempting to stuff a bright blue hoodie into a black-and-red suitcase. Serena jogged up the stairs and rounded the corner that separated her from her crush.

"Hey Ash!" said Serena, beaming at the boy.

"Oh, hey Serena!" replied Ash. He flashed a quick smile at her and continued to pack his items of clothing.

"You know, you're never gonna get anything in here if you stuff your clothes down like that," commented Serena. Taking the suitcase and lifting piles of clothes out of it, she looked at him, saying "Here, I'll show you."

She took one of the t-shirts from the disorderly pile she had made, and began to fold it neatly. Meanwhile, Ash watched her intently, as if watching a magic act. When Serena was done, she placed it neatly into the suitcase, and smiled at Ash. "Now you try!"

No more than a second later, Ash grabbed a pair of trousers and began trying to replicate Serena's work. The fuzzy yellow ball that was Pikachu caught Serena's eye. The Pokemon almost seemed to be laughing at his trainer, but in a good-natured way. Seemingly done, Ash held up his folded trousers and displayed them briefly to Serena, before putting it away. "Pretty good," said the girl, "but I reckon I'll have to help you out a little more…"

After about 10 minutes, the work was over, and the suitcase was pretty much full. Ash looked at Serena for confirmation, who nodded back at him.

"Thanks for all your help, Serena," said Ash, "I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

"No problem, shall we go now?" replied Serena.

"Yeah, sure, let's go say goodbye to Clemont and Bonnie first."

The two of them walked down the varnished-oak stairs, and turned to their left to see the siblings from Lumiose almost walk into them.

"Hey, guys," said Ash. "You see, Serena and I are all packed now. I think we're ready to set off to Vaniville Town.

"Aww," whined Bonnie, "Why do you guys have to leave?"

"If we leave it any longer, there's gonna be a snowstorm on our hands." replied Serena, with sympathy in her eyes. "I don't wanna leave either."

"OK then…" whispered Bonnie. "But we're gonna see each other soon, right?"

"Yeah, sure!" said Ash excitedly. "We'll meet again in Lumiose City, remember? I'm gonna go to the Pokemon League!"

"Well, if everything seems to be in order, then there's no time like the present!" said Clemont, smiling to the two of them. "I've booked you guys a hotel in Lumiose for when you get there, OK? Just tell them your names and you should get in. Take this just in case."

Clemont handed a small card to Ash, who took it gladly. It had the name _Luces Hotel_ , as well as two-digit room number and a longer code underneath it for Arceus-knows-what, and would surely grant them entry to their room.

"Thanks so much, Clemont," said Ash. The two boys looked into each others' eyes and shook hands. Meanwhile, Serena bent down to hug Bonnie. Whilst Ash wished he could stay with his friends for a little longer, he knew that if they waited longer there would be the risk of a huge snowstorm to deal with.

"Alright, Serena, I think it's time for us to go. Wouldn't want to get lost in the snowstorm, right?"

* * *

Pikachu seemed excited to explore the white snow around them, but Ash kept him on his shoulder. He knew that if his partner were to leap off into the woodlands around them, there would be almost no chance of finding each other in the blinding snow.

Ash looked over at Serena, who was shivering slightly. He could see that the cold was getting to her as she trudged through the snow with him.

"You OK?" asked Ash. _No harm in asking, right?_

"Y-yeah, I'm fine… just a little cold." The two of them stopped.

"It's kinda snowy out here, isn't it?" Ash reached out his hand so Pikachu could climb up and onto his shoulder. "Maybe the snowstorm's coming early."

"I hope not," replied Serena. "We'd better get inside somewhere."

Ash looked around him. Besides him, Pikachu and Serena, there seemed to be nobody or nothing in sight. The perfectly white snow looked endless. The forests around them loomed above, inviting unwary travellers into its bounds.

"Nothing…" he said. "We'd better keep walking. There's bound to be something between here and Vaniville Town."

Sighing, the two of them soldiered on through the wilderness, looking about them for signs of civilisation. The falling snow made it incredibly hard to see, as did the glare coming from that on the ground. At this rate, they'd never find shelter. They might even miss the gates of Serena's hometown.

As he walked on, and on, and on, through the snow, Ash hit something. Or, rather, his foot did. He barely had time to notice the ground flying towards his face. But as he landed, he found himself lying on a bed of rather soft snow.

Breathing, his head span for a while, until he could see clearly. Serena stood above him, giggling. At least she was happy now. Ash took the hand offered to him by the Performer and pulled himself up.

Looking down to see the source of his literal downfall, he sighed to see a medium-sized rock on the floor. A simple rock had bested him. But next to it, a post. A red post. Something that neither he nor Serena would have seen if not for this moment. Ash followed the post up with his eyes and found that it lead to a gate. When he looked to Serena, he knew that she had found it too. What they had been looking for this whole time. It had felt like hours. It probably was hours, but they were here.

Serena's eyes brightened. For the first time since they had left the chateau, her face was in a broad smile. She stared through the gates, over the thin, winding brick path, and into the small town. And like a deer, she sprang forward.

She looked back for a second, and realised that Ash had fallen apart. He was clearly quite beaten by the mix of fatigue and cold that had fell on him. Regardless, she grabbed his hand and pulled him along merrily into a place reminiscent of a town square, but he couldn't tell.

Serena could, though. After all, this was her home town.

* * *

They ran nonstop for the next few minutes, through streets and between stores, when the pair reached a house with a small extension. Like all the other houses, it was covered in snow, but the area around the extension had been meticulously ploughed.

Ash bent over, catching his breath, when a tall brunette stepped out from the door. She looked deep into Serena's eyes, and suddenly broke into a smile. Serena rushed to hug the woman, which seemed odd to the Kantoan, until something clicked. This was her mother.

Following a curt greeting, Ash was ushered inside by Serena's mother. The two took their several layers of winter clothes off, whilst Grace stared at the two of them.

"So, Serena. This is your new boyfriend?" The woman was grinning widely, and it gave her an aspect that reminded Ash of his own mother.

"No, Mom," said Serena. An uncontrollable blush began to spread across her face, "Ash isn't my boyfriend."

"I'm just joking," she said, laughing. Ash laughed along too, if slight nervously. "So, you're the Ash I've heard so much about. Serena speaks so highly of you. In fact, she always speaks about you when I'm talking to her."

The trainer looked over to Serena, who was blushing madly now. In fact, she was trying to hide her face from everyone else in the room.

"Really?"

"Yeah, she has. According to Serena, you've been taking really good care of her. Thanks for that!"

"Well, I wouldn't say it like tha-"

"To be honest, when she told me she would be travelling, I didn't think she'd survive a day out there! I assumed she'd come straight back here! I guess I underestimated her though."

"That's great, Mom," said Serena, stepping almost in between Ash and Grace. "How about I show Ash to his room."

"Yeah, I'll get back to the food. I think the potatoes need a little bake now."

"Sorry about that." Serena began to corral Ash out of the front room and into the hall. Ash looked into the subsequent kitchen and saw Grace placing a tray into an oven. The fumes from the room spread throughout the house. Delicious aromas of turkey, potato and other indescribably delicious complements were being cooked. The raven-haired boy felt his stomach rumbling. Serena heard it.

"No time for that now, Ash," interrupted Serena. "Here, I'll show you to your room!" The Kalosian girl gestured upstairs, and lead the Kantoan up. After walking up and turning around the bannister, the two came to an open door. "There it is!"

Ash stepped inside the room. Whilst he knew it was a guest room, it was still slightly smaller than he would have wanted. However, he tried not to show it on his face.

"It's really nice, Serena. Thanks." He smiled at her.

"I'm sorry it's a little small," replied Serena.

"It's fine," he said, brushing off the apology, "I've slept in smaller." In truth, the only smaller thing he'd slept in was a tent, but he did that often anyway, so what was the problem?

"Ash, Serena, time for dinner!" called Grace from downstairs. Anybody who had met Ash when he was hungry would know that this would ensue a mad rush to wherever said dinner was located. Ash rounded the corner and nearly ran into Grace. But when she moved out of his vision, he saw that on the table was a grand Christmas meal, rivalling even Deliah Ketchum's own. The room was illuminated by warm candlelight, making it feel as if Ash was at his own home. And only now, Ash noticed that on the floor was that same oak surface that he knew from Kanto.

"Wow, Grace. It's amazing!" Ash was in complete awe. Never had anyone apart from his mother completed such a visual masterpiece of food. He could only hope it tasted as good.

"Go on, you two must be starving!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey guys, thanks a lot for reading! The next chapter should be up next week, as long as I remember. I wrote this chapter listening to music, and I think it has an effect on my creative performance, so I'll be doing it more often. Actually, if you leave a review, tell me what song you've been listening to on repeat! Mine's Sellouts by Breathe Carolina!

Before I go, I just want to say: please leave a review! I can't notice all of my spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, so I rely on you guys to help out! Plus, you can leave your own suggestions (or just PM me those, I don't really mind) there too. So please consider it, as it can make a world of difference!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hey guys. Sorry for uploading late, it's just so much has happened in the past few weeks. School, ilness, and life in general is just difficult at the moment. I wrote twenty pages about the electromagnetic spectrum, and ever since, I've been totally out of it. I hope you can forgive me, and I sincerely hope this never happens again. Regardless, I bring to you: the next chapter of I Choose You! It's a shorter one this time, but there isn't much I can do about that now, so I hope you enjoy.

Before you go, I just want to ask you guys for a review, because it makes me really happy to see your opinion. So, without further ado, go ahead and jump in!

* * *

Serena's mother was a brilliant cook. Ash was happy to admit that fact. He was, after all, in need of some homemade food, as he was stuck in the Kalos Region with Serena and her mother for the next few days, and the foreseeable future. He had heard from Serena about her homemade fajitas, and of her 'famous' sticky chocolate muffins, but he had yet to try any of them. However, none of this had prepared him for the feast laid in front of him. Dark crimson cranberry sauce, shining roast potatoes, alongside vibrant carrots, broccoli, and other vegetables. And at the centre of it all, a great, steaming turkey, fit for carving, forking, and stuffing into a king's mouth.

Ash and Serena slowly sat into white chairs with shining, silver legs, admiring the food in front of them. In fact, they didn't take their eyes away from it until Grace spoke.

"So, Serena," enquired Grace, "What's next for your journey?" She seemed interested. In all honesty, so was Ash. He needed to find some kind of plan for the next couple of weeks. After all, the last few days had progressed relatively out of hand.

"Well, Ash and I will probably go to Aquacorde Town," replied Serena, "We're gonna meet Clemont and Bonnie at my Showcase there. Then, it's on to Lumiose for the Pokemon League!"

Ash could only nod in agreement, his mouth full of succulent, golden turkey.

A long while passed, as the three of them ate, drank, and discussed happenings, recent and long-gone. Grace told Ash one or two embarassing stories about Serena and her former fear of Pokemon, but seeing Serena's discomfort at this, Ash decided to disclose a few stories about himself that, if anyone else knew of, he would never live it down. However, he felt comfortable around these two, able to have conversations usually passed between himself and his mother, Brock, Misty, or a select few others. Inevitably, the conversation began to dry up, with the three of them attempting to keep it going with trivial tidbits, until they finally, ran out, and simply ate the last potatoes and drank the last dregs of drink in silence. Luckily, it was then that Serena realised that she had forgotten to disclose her current plan for the night.

"Oh Ash," said Serena, "We should do some Christmas shopping together! There are so many amazing shops here!" Obviously, this was a good opportunity for him, seeing as he had (until now, of course), neglected to think of Christmas presents for his hosts and friends.

"Yeah, sure!" replied Ash, attempting to hide his worry over what to buy the two ladies. "I'd love to!"

"Awesome!" The honey-haired girl was beaming now. "Let's finish up, then we can leave." She apparently really wanted to take Ash on some kind of tour or something of Vaniville Town.

And for some reason, Ash felt he wanted to do the same.

* * *

Later on that evening, Ash walked to the door. Serena was already there, watching him as he pulled on his coat, slipped on warm gloves, and adjusted his hat. He bent down, and Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder.

He finally turned around, and asked the Kalosian, "Are we ready to go?" Serena looked into his eyes. Those warm, auburn eyes. She would have stayed there, looking into his eyes forever, if Ash hadn't said, "Anyone there? Hello?"

Serena blushed. "Yep" she said, before pulling her scarf higher. _Oh my gosh… how embarrassing…_

Just as they had thought, it was still cold outside. Ash had insisted on going alone, but Serena pushed the argument that, "You won't find the way on your own, Ash." As usual, she was right.

They walked in silence. As if complimenting the awkwardness, the entire town was virtually silent. As if forcing them to talk. To fill the emptiness of silence.

Ash still couldn't deny, he would like to talk to her. After all, for a while now, a certain feeling had chased him. He kept running from it, yet it never tired. Always on the brink of consuming him.

He didn't want to accept it. But he had to eventually. He loved Serena. Ash thought about the words. Tossed them about in his mind. _I love Serena_ , he thought, _doesn't sound bad._

Ash had been thinking for so long, he wasn't quite paying attention to his surroundings anymore. He stepped out into the road, his feet hitting the tarmac, only to be pulled back by Serena. The boy didn't understand until a car came whizzing past only a second later.

Her hand remained on his arm. She seemed frozen. Frozen by the weather? Or by the fear of nearly losing Ash? Her body was still tense.

In an attempt to break that tension, as well as that in between them, Ash said, "Thank you, Serena." He knew it was a bit polite for his usual self, but he was trying to seem grateful.

"I just wouldn't want to see you in a coma a couple of weeks before the League." came the quiet reply. There was a slight, forced humour in the voice, that neither person really understood. After this, they kept silent.

They arrived at the store 5 minutes later. Before they went into the store, Serena gave Ash her address, in the hope that he could use it to walk home on his own. Ash really felt like he needed to buy something for the two people he was staying with, for their hospitality.

Finding a present for Grace was easy enough; he simply picked up a box of fancy chocolates, and hoped he had enough to buy it with. One hundred dollars was going to have to be conserved. At least the League provided accommodation for the competitors in Lumiose City.

Serena's present, on the other hand, was difficult.

He couldn't simply pick something without even looking twice at it, he had to buy her something she would remember. Something that would possibly even increase his chances of sharing his life with her. Not sure why he had began thinking like this, Ash began his search.

He went through aisles that he never needed to go through before, and despite odd looks from other people, he carried on searching. There were some things he saw that Serena certainly wouldn't forget… as wouldn't her mother. However, he had no 'fashion sense', as many a girl he had known had called it, so he was completely stuck.

"Ash?"

The trainer heard his name from behind him. _Oh no..._ thought Ash. Being seen by others was bad enough, but someone he knew... he probably would never live it down.

He whipped around nevertheless, and saw Shauna. "Oh, hi Shauna!" replied Ash.

"What are you doing here?" enquired the girl. Her eyebrows were up in amusement.

"Doing some Christmas shopping," replied Ash in a superior tone, even though he was blushing slightly.

"So, you wound up in the women's... accessories department," replied Shauna, clearly still unconvinced.

"You see," began Ash, "I'm getting something for Serena. Problem is, I can't choose what to get."

Shauna giggled. She probably guessed that Ash had a crush on Serena. She had guessed right.

"And how did you end up staying here at Christmas? Aren't you from Kanto?"

"Yeah, but the airport there's frozen over, so I can't get there." Ash said a mental prayer to Arceus for this to end.

"Try this," she said, placing a crimson handbag into his arms, "I think it suits her."

"Uh, thanks, Shauna" replied Ash, holding the bag to his chest. He was grateful to be able to get out of this place.

"By the way," Shauna started, as she walked away, "You two make a really cute couple!" At this, Ash turned round, and opened his mouth to retort. Shauna beat him. "Merry Christmas!"

Ash stuttered, then finally replied, "Merry Christmas to you too, Shauna!" He felt happy that someone liked the thought of them being in a relationship as much as he, and hopefully Serena, did.

Now, all he had to do was wrap these presents.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey guys, thanks for reading! I'm going to keep these short, I just want to remind you to leave a review, and maybe even follow the story? If you like it, that is. Also, if you guys write anything, please leave it in a review, and I might even give some shoutouts in the final chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Crap.

Crap crap crap crap crappity crap. (Does that make the story a T? I don't really know.)

I apologise, once again, for an offensively late chapter of the story. I don't feel justified in publishing late, but I can't really be bothered explaining why. Sorry…

Anyway, without further ado, here's the latest chapter.

* * *

The next morning, a thick haze had set over the roads, gardens, and homes of Vaniville Town above the thick snow that rested upon the ground. The whole town felt sleepy, quiet, and almost lazy.

That was until Serena woke up. She did so as she usually would, grumbling about how she could have gotten more sleep if the darn sun hadn't have been there, rolling over to the other side of her bed, and checking her phone with tired, half-open eyes. However, when she saw the date, she instantly changed. Sitting bolt upright, the sleepiness was gone, replaced with the childlike wonder that only comes with one day of the year.

Christmas.

The honey-haired girl stepped out of her bed, pulled a thin dressing gown over her fleecy pink night-clothes, and tramped out of her room into the adjoining corridor. 4 doors stood around her. One to her room, one to her mother's room, one to the bathroom, and the inexplicably open one to the guest room. _Oh yeah…_ She recalled how she and Ash trudged through the snow together to Vaniville town, and how the pair went down to the local shop for Christmas presents.

Serena peeked into the room and grinned as she saw Ash sleeping, one arm hanging off the bed, with the covers barely hiding his tanned back. On the floor, she noticed an odd collection of items. Scissors, scraps of wrapping paper, and a small set of ribbons.

Excitedly, she tiptoed into the room, edging closer and closer to her crush. How she wanted to lie in bed with him, feel his warm presence, have his arm around her. _All things yet to be…_ she thought. Nearly tripping over the wrapping paper, Serena regained stability, and continued her advance towards the boy.

When she finally reached him, Serena reached out a tentative hand, then placed it on Ash's shoulder and gently shook it. "A-ash, wake up!" She said this to him in a playful, singsong tone.

A groggy moan, emanated from the trainer's mouth, signalled that he was awake, although not by choice. "It's Christmas, Ash!" said Serena, slightly louder than before.

"Really? Already?" came Ash's reply, slightly muffled by the pillow upon which his face lay.

"Yeah! Wake up!" Serena was getting a little impatient now. Usually, she wouldn't get like this at Ash, but surely he had got enough sleep to wake up by now?

"Gimme, like, five minutes…" Ash trailed off, obviously in an attempt to keep Serena's efforts at bay. Serena, however, didn't give up. Instead, she used both hands to grip Ash's arm, and pulled as hard as she could.

"H-hey, what're you doing? Serena? Sto-" Ash would have finished his sentence, if only he hadn't been forcefully roused from his sleep by being pulled off his bed. His head hurt. _Damn…_ he thought, _how late was I up last night?_

"Fine, I'm up," groaned Ash, glaring at the girl stood above him, "Would it kill you to say please?"

After Ash had pulled himself into something other than a pair of grey pants, the teenagers made their way downstairs, where they caught the scent of some delicious-smelling breakfast goods. Almost reflexively, they made for the kitchen, to find a steaming pile of pancakes, with a note beside it.

 _Dear Serena,_ the note read, _I had to go to take care of some urgent matters. I have left breakfast for you, and Merry Christmas to you both._

After reading the note, sighing, then passing it to Ash, Serena took a fork, and two plates from the cupboard above the pancakes. Following this, she placed a small stack of pancakes onto one plate, and gestured for Ash to follow suit. After waiting politely for him, Serena lead him into the cosy living room towards the back of the house with pancakes in hand, something Grace wouldn't normally allow her to do.

The two of them sat down by the tree, and while Ash started eating from his pile of pancakes, Serena surveyed the group of brightly-coloured packaging underneath the fresh-smelling green needles, selected one, and handed it to Ash.

"Here," she said, smiling, "I got you this one. Open it"

"Nah," said Ash. "You do yours first." He took the box from Serena's hand and placed it gently beside him.

"No," replied Serena, "You're the guest. You start."

"I insist, you go first." Ash pressed the matter until Serena caved in.

She started to politely unwrap Ash's gift, then opened the box inside. Then, her jaw dropped at the sight of her present.

"Oh my Arceus, Ash," whispered Serena, "How did you afford this?" She looked down at the crimson handbag in her lap, then at Ash, then between the two until Ash responded.

"That one's a secret," Ash replied, tapping his nose. Unbeknownst to Serena, even runners-up to the Pokemon Leagues got substantial, if not huge, cash prizes, which he had saved up just in case. He expected her to react like this, but her next action completely blindsided him.

She reached in and threw her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you!" she said. She repeated the words, before removing herself from Ash's body, and awkwardly laughing. Serena looked towards the window, and her counterpart could see that her cheeks were flushed, and her hands shook ever-so-slightly after the hug.

"I'm glad you liked it," said the raven-haired boy, attempting to break the silence."I spent a long time wrapping it," He was elated that she liked it, and even more so at the hug. It had been a long time since someone had hugged him like that. Years, in fact. His mind was cast back to his elementary school, where he had met a girl. Slightly shorter than himself, with chestnut hair and dark green eyes. Pale skin, with a few freckles showing on the skin below her eyes. They often played together during the time Ash spent in school, with the two of them often returning to Ash's house frequently to play video games, do homework, and more often as the years passed, to talk.

But that was in the past. It was Ash's turn to open a gift now. He reached for a small, yet surprisingly weighty, box, and lifted it up, inspected the wrapping, and tore the paper off in two or three precise strokes. Inside was a small, black box. Made up of two segments (themselves made of some kind of fabric-y, yet solid, material, one only slightly smaller than the other in order to be covered), Ash gently slid the uppermost segment upwards, revealing the clearly precious payload inside.

On top of a plushy, black material lay a pendant. It was intricately decorated with a depiction of a Master Ball, made of some kind of gemstone, the name of which Ash didn't know for the life of him. The sole difference between the genuine article and the product in Ash's hands was instead of an 'M', there was a letter 'A' emblazoned on the face.

Examining the gift, Ash noticed a little silver latch on the side, so he undid it, and opened the pendant. Inside was a picture of him and Serena that was taken a little while ago, probably outside a little hotel in Lumiose City in which the group spent a night or two, and on the other side was a picture of the two with Clemont, Bonnie and Korrina outside the cave in which Lucario's Mega Stone had been located.

"Serena-" Ash began, before doing away with speech, and throwing his arms around Serena's waist. It felt good there, so the two remained in the position for a few minutes, before Ash talked.

"It's beautiful, Serena. It really is," said Ash. His voice was rocky, and he was on the verge of letting out a tear or two, but he didn't want to betray it to her.

"I-I'm glad you like it…" she trailed off, a tear running down her cheek. Ash could see how much this meant to Serena. If the two of them ever were separated like before, at least Ash had something to remind himself of their travels together. The pair sat together in silence for a moment, staring away from each other.

"Hey, Serena?" said Ash. Her eyes fixed on Ash, and he met her dreamlike gaze with one of his own.

"Y-yeah?" _This is it,_ she thought, _he's gonna tell me how he loves me, a-and I can tell him how I love him, and then we can-_

"You wanna get some more pancakes?" Flashing his signature cheesy grin, he stood up and offered a hand to Serena, who simply blinked and stared blankly at the wall. _This isn't how it was meant to go…_

"Uhhh, y-yeah, sure."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey guys, thanks for reading another chapter of my crazy fantas- I Choose You! I took another pretty major break between writing this chapter and the last, but I'm going to try and make things a little more regular.

Also, if anyone's interested, I'm considering taking A Noble End off hiatus, and reinventing it as I have done this story. I'm not sure how regular my uploads will be with 2 stories at the same time, but I would definitely try.

If you've read this far, please leave a review, as it means so much to me, and I rely on you guys to point out mistakes and make suggestions for new stories. Thanks, and I'll see you in the next one!


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